Food Network pays Rockford native to eat

Wednesday

Oct 31, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2007 at 5:04 PM

You might like your job. Your boss might not even be particularly annoying. But you don’t hold a candle to job satisfaction compared with Sarah Copeland. The 30-year-old Rockford native actually — get this — is paid to eat.

Elizabeth Davies

You might like your job. Your boss might not even be particularly annoying.

But you don’t hold a candle to job satisfaction compared with Sarah Copeland. The 30-year-old Rockford native actually — get this — is paid to eat.
About Sarah Copeland

A recipe tester with the Food Network, Copeland spends her days cooking, dreaming up recipes and of course, eating.

“I’m always amazed by what a strong reaction people have to food, and to my job,” she said in an e-mail interview from her home in New York City. “When they find out I get paid to play with food all day, most people say I have their dream job.”

So much so that Copeland was recently featured on the television show “I Want Your Job,” produced by the Fine Living Network. Host Michelle Beadle followed Copeland through her day developing recipes in the Food Network’s New York kitchen.

Most of Copeland’s time is dedicated to writing and developing recipes for foodnetwork.com, and for the Food Network Kitchens Cookbooks. She hosts the Food Network’s “Will Work for Food” blog and takes pictures of her goods for the network’s Web site. Her recipes also have shown up in magazines such as Redbook, Rachel Ray Magazine, Martha Stewart Living and Glamour.

“Picture me juggling a notebook, a camera and a spatula full of frosting, and you’ll have a good idea what my daily work life is like,” she said.

But exactly how does a Midwestern girl find herself in such a dream job?

Copeland graduated from the Institute for Culinary Education, then headed to France for a three-month externship. She worked as a pastry cook in a three-star New York City restaurant and later became a family’s personal chef in St. Tropez. Back in New York, she freelanced as a food stylist, restaurant critic and recipe tester.

These days, Copeland gets together with other Food Network cooks twice a day for shared meals, sampling one another’s wares. It’s one of the best — and worst — parts of her job.

“Do calories count?” she jokes. “I adore sweets of all kind, but I know how much havoc excessive sugar can reap on a body, so I really try to live, cook and teach cooking that is based on natural, local ingredients and lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and fish.

“But I also love the joy and satisfaction that a really exceptional dessert can bring to people, and I’m usually the first to dig in. The challenge is to learn to have one taste and then walk away. I have to remind myself: There will be something else delicious tomorrow, and there always is.”

Copeland actually got her start here in Rockford, serving food at the Rockford Rescue Mission’s kitchen for the homeless. She began volunteering there in the sixth grade, and years later in New York continued her volunteer efforts as a cook at the Bailey House, an HIV Hospice.

“When I first arrived, other volunteers were making macaroni and cheese out of a box, which, as a chef with a keen interest in nutrition, seemed really offensive,” she said.

“But as I sat and talked with the residents, I realized the meal we were serving was just a symbol. We were really there to show love and support for the community.”

In her work there, and at the Food Network, Copeland strives to make food both delicious and healthy. The daughter of a doctor and nurse, she always thought she would one day become a doctor.

“I have remained fascinated with medicine and the human body, and I have found a window to understanding human health and even global health through nutrition,” she said. “I realize that good nutrition is a form of medicine, preventative medicine, for both the body and the spirit. The feeding of people is, in many ways, an act of healing. … Food cannot cure disease, but without proper nutrition, medicine can’t do its best job either.”

Copeland loves the fact that she can make a difference in people’s lives through her passion for food. She gets the opportunity to create new things, and to blend the cultural influences she has encountered into a new, unique recipe.

“I’m often captivated by one little dish, idea or presentation that is linked to a cultural or regional tradition different from my own,” she said. “I tuck those little ideas away, and then later draw upon them when I am creating a new recipe.

“I now realize I’ve been doing that my whole life. One of the first recipes I remember wanting to learn was Swedish pancakes from Stockholm Inn. I loved my mother’s beautiful, fluffy American pancakes, but I also loved learning about the traditions from the other cultural influences around me.”

But even when you spend all day tasting cake, melting chocolate and whipping fillings, no job is perfect. Copeland might love her job, but she admits there is one downside to being a professional recipe tester.

Doing the dishes.

Copeland's Special Apple and Pear Pie
From Food Network Kitchens

One of my favorite memories of childhood in Rockford is our yearly visit to Edwards Apple Orchard for cheddar-topped apple pie and hot cider. Back in New York, I curb homesickness with my own version that I developed for the Food Network, made with apples and pears, which add depth, juice and flavor. And although I love an all-butter crust, I finally conceded to my mother’s tradition of using a little shortening for an extra-flaky crust. I think you’ll agree, compromise is a delicious endeavor.

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub the shortening into the dry ingredients with your fingers until completely absorbed. Then rub in the butter until it resembles cornmeal mixed with pea-size bits of butter. (If it gets warm and sticky, refrigerate it to chill.) Beat the egg with the vinegar; then drizzle it evenly over the dough. Lightly stir the dough together with a fork. (The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it together, with some dry crumbly bits.) If the dough is really dry, sprinkle it with a tablespoon of ice cold water. (To make the dough in food processor, see below.) Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core and then slice both the apple and pear into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest; and remove from the heat. Cool completely.

Form the pie
Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll a disk of dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to 9-inch glass pie pan, trimming so it hangs about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Fill the crust with the prepared fruit so it mounds slightly in the center. Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Brush the rim of the crust with some of the egg.

Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the fruit so it hangs over the edge of the pie pan by about 1/2 an inch. Trim crust if needed, reserving the scraps for decorations or for patching, if needed. Fold the top crust edge under the bottom one, then press the edges together to seal. Cut trimmed scraps into designs if desired and set aside. Flute the crust by pressing a finger into the crust against the other hand’s index finger and thumb to make an even impression. Repeat every 1/2 inch around the pie to create a ruffled edge (see photo). Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees.

Brush pie with egg and place cut dough designs on top if desired. Brush again and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 6 to 8 small steam vents into the top of the dough. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until the crust (both top and bottom) is golden brown, about 50 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges. Cool on a rack.

Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped or ice cream. For a cheddar-topped version, top with several slices of sharp cheddar cheese, and melt under the broiler for 2 minutes.

Cook’s Note: To make the dough in a food processor: Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of the processor. Add the shortening and pulse until it resembles fine cornmeal. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Beat the egg and vinegar water together, add and pulse 1 to 2 times, but don’t let the dough form into a ball in the machine. If the dough is dry add pulse in a tablespoon of cold water. Remove the blade and turn dough onto a large, sheet of plastic film.

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